I was heartbroken to learn that Bea Arthur died this weekend in her LA home at the age of 86. Already the Web is overflowing with tributes to the distinguished comedic actress, which says so much about her great talent. Reading through some of them, I realize that an entire generation came to know and love her as Maude Findlay. Some even remember her for her stage accomplishments, for which she Read more

Though the quintessential Miamian, the late Sophia Petrillo, might disapprove —the Southern city has just been found at the bottom of the friendly heap. Miami comes in dead last in a study of volunteerism in 50 major US cities. Possible causes for the falloff could include traffic, an exploding number of new immigrants, or the better offer of time on the beach. Miami might be last, but Read more

The news of Estelle Getty's death has really put a cloud over my week. Since her passing, I keep finding myself wandering over YouTube to watch classic Golden Girls clips (the best are the ones with Getty's feisty old Sophia giving Blanche hell). It just reminds me of what a touchstone The Golden Girls really was. YouTube clips may be convenient, but they hardly do the show — nor Getty — Read more

We love us some Golden Girls here at GiggleSugar, so it was very sad to hear that Estelle Getty, my favorite Golden Girl, passed away yesterday, three days before her 85th birthday. Estelle got her start in the Yiddish theater and as a comedian in the Catskills' "Borscht Belt." Her star began to rise when she played Harvey Fierstein's mother in the Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy, but Read more

Sad news this morning, Buzz readers: Estelle Getty (a.k.a. Sophia from The Golden Girls) has passed away at the age of 84. Best known as Sophia, the snappy, sarcastic mother of Bea Arthur's character Dorothy, Getty endeared herself to audiences everywhere for being hilariously no-nonsense — effectivey shattering the stereotype of the sweet old lady. According to the AP, Getty initially didn't Read more